California solar power hitting records

On Friday, the state hit an all-time high output of 2,071 megawatts of electrical generation 12:59 p.m. That record was broken again at 12:53 p.m. on Monday, when output reached 2,104 megawatts.

It was just last September that California for the first time peaked at 1,000 megawatts.

“One reason is that we are adding more solar facilities to the grid,” said Steven Greenlee, spokesman with the California Independent System Operator in Folsom.

“The other thing is that we have had good sun,” he said.

Solar panels work most efficiently when conditions are clear, which means no clouds, hazy air, dirty air or even high humidity, which can block some of the sun’s rays.

“This is a good thing. It shows we are making progress toward meeting the state’s renewable energy goals,” Greenlee said. Those goals are for 33 percent of the state’s power to come from renewable energy by 2020.